Introduction about the novel
A passage to India is a novel
written by English author E.M. FORSTER which set against the backdrop of the
British raj and Indian independence movement in 1920. The novel is based on
forester’s experience in India, deriving the tittle from WALT Whiteman’s poem
in leaves of grass.
The revolves around four-character
DR. AZIZ, MR. CYRIL FIELDING, MRS.MOOREAND ADELA QUESTED on the theme of
colonialism and how it effects native Indian in Chandrapur.
In this article, Hala Salih highlights
E.M.forsers attack against British imperialism in colonial India. this attitude
leads to the impossibility of establishing friendship between natives and British.
Indians fights for freedom and concludes by highlighting the possibility of
future friendship between natives and British.
Salih introduces with how
imperialism prohibits establishing personal relationship between the local
natives and Anglo -Indians in evident to when Mohamed ali and Hamid Ullah
wonder “whether or not it is possible to
be friends with an Englishman”
foster responds to this in the concluding page by saying “no not yet … not there”.
Salih further highlights
colonizers as a prejudicial and malicious community whose motive is to abuse
and harm the natives. This is clear through the character mescaline who argues “the
kindest thing one can do to a native is to let him die.”
As well when British meet
at the club to discuss Aziz arrest for his rape of Adela quested, any native
who plays polo is all right. What you have got to stamp on is these educated
classes and Ronny’s criticism against natives to attack all of them he says in
the party that “they all forget their black collar studs sooner or later” in
which Salih denotes Ronny’s pre judgement of Aziz as well as the entire Indian
race stems out his narrow mind without using logic firm the fact.
And the novel supposes
that the colonizers are unable to judge the facts in a rational way. For instance,
this is crystal clear in the allegation of Aziz and Ronny’s view on behaving
with natives in a unpleasant way.
So throughout all these
it is concerned to show English should not be in India at all. This is clearly
denoted in the following themes throughout the novel.
·
The
role of officialism and power in damaging friendships.
Salih portrays that
foster denotes to demonstrate how the strict colonial administrative system
leads to the destruction of the relationship between the rulers and natives.
This is clear in the case of Ronny when he arrives to Chandrapur, he concludes
that building relationship with Indians is not possible for him because of
vanity and prestige. That’s it he left Mohamed ali in the court. So, this
position in the imperial administration system changes him into a strict man with
native Indians.
He further comments that
officialism has destructive impact on the possibility of friendship between
individuals too and says “where there is officialism every human relationship
suffers.”
This suggestion of these
statement is that the Indians are unable to build balanced friendship between
them who is unequally superior in power as all relationships are governed by
the pollical and official impact and British never hesitate to give up any
friendship with natives for the sake of keeping their prestigious position.
·
The
Indian yearns for freedom.
There is a deep
background behind Indians to fight against British and freedom movement in India.
the most significance in these is 1919 rebellion in Punjab which the
administration represses with extreme cruelty.
As like that in this novel,
it refers so many cruel instances that was treated by Anglo-Indians, for an
instance: Ronny’s attitude after he was appointed as magistrate officer and his
transformation of his perception towards natives, when Aziz went to meet major calendar
he was insulted purposely by the gateman and by the girls too.
Mohamed ali was the first
person who destroys his developing friendship with Ronny by reporting their
smoking to the latter’s opponents.
All these incidents lead
Indians to rebel against Anglo-Indians and move towards independence movement.
The
future possibility of friendship
Forster shows the Indians
as sociable rather than aggressive people. throughout the novel forester
provides with variety of examples wherein he proves that it is highly
impossible to be friend with Anglo Indians and imperialism should come to end.
The following concluding quote says it clearly,
“the earth didn’t want it,
sending up rocks through which ridders must pass in single file, they didn’t
want it, they said in their hundred voices “no, not yet” and the sky said “no
not there “
The novel concludes with
the argument about the future possibility of friendship when Aziz says “we
shall drive every blasted Englishmen in to sea and then you and I shall be
friends why can’t we be friends now? It’s what I want……
This paragraph suggests firmly
that Aziz and fielding can maintain their friendship when India becomes free
nation and they can’t be friends, here not only the imperial system put
impediment in their friendship but also the entire universe too.
Conclusion
Hala salih concludes that
friendship between the British and Indians are highly impossible while Indians
are under control and it is possible after the departure of colonizers in this
imperialistic system throughout his arguments.
Written by
M.H.M. Akmal
References
- Mohamed Salih (1989). “A critique of imperialism”.
Retrieved from Retrived from https://scholor.google.com
- Brandurbur (1993). “Images of women
in passage to India”. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org.
- Aashif Rashid (2016). Cultural Conflict in the Fiction of E.M. Forster. Retrieved from https://sciencedirect.com.
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